After a well-rested winter break, the spring semester has now begun at Los Medanos for new and returning students. The college wasted no time hosting the Welcome Week activities on both the Pittsburg and Brentwood campuses where information booths, food, and games were available each day. 

To start the week LMCAS hosted a meet and greet for students to get to know what Student Life has to offer. A table was also displayed where Student Life handed out food between 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Tuesday and Wednesday were Mustang Day, where LMC programs set up informational tables and hosted interactive games, catering to each student’s interests. A few of the games by Student Life included a scavenger hunt with winning prizes and a Go-Kart track race. The event on Wednesday was located in Brentwood and featured programs such as Puente, Ethnic Studies, Transfer Services, Equity Inclusion, and more.

“We want to let students know about all the resources we have to give them,” said Megela O’hare, Basic Needs Program Coordinator.

On Tuesday, many students came by and spoke to representatives of programs and clubs that they were interested in. Wednesday, in contrast, had a slower pace of people coming by and learning about these programs.

“What I like most about this event is how small and accessible it is,” Issac Campos said.

On Thursday, Student Life hosted a Speed Friending for the last day of Welcome Week. The event was located in the Conference Room inside the Pittsburg Library, where students would come in and meet new people that they’d never spoken to before. 

Everyone would sit on either side of a table across from somebody new, spend 3 minutes chatting, or use the questionnaires on the table. Once those 3 minutes were up, the person sitting on the exterior side of the table would rotate to their right, and chat with the next person for 3 minutes once again. 

Student Life Associate, Drew Booth, said that her main goal for the event was to, “have people interact and engage with each other.”

She speaks further on how satisfied she was about the event having many students with different interests coming in and sharing about themselves. The goal was for students to branch out and make new acquaintances on campus.

Student Jessica Ontiveros has said that she’s a naturally shy person, so she was looking forward to meeting new people and making new friends.

LMC’s Welcome Week had a strong turnout from start to finish. To provide a safe community for all students, the college has more events planned throughout the semester.